Affirmations and Change

I was thinking about the previous post on November 27th, Change, and wanted to expound on that a little. Affirmations help us change; however, only if you believe what you are saying to yourself. Sure, repetition is key as we move forward in growth. It is important to understand that faith is a critical key to changing.

I use Bible promises for my affirmations. I will tell you though that I didn’t begin to see the transformation until I believed what God said about me and His promises to me. Psalm 18:30 – “This God-His way is perfect, the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.”

It truly was the supplement I needed to continue truly growing. The repetition of the affirmations is like reinforcing the glue. Belief is what makes it stick. It is the glue. Even if we fall down (miss a day), we get back up and continue moving forward on our journey.

Believing what you speak to yourself determines what you believe. What are you believing that is impacting your ability to change? Something to ponder regarding your growth, your goals and your life.

Faith that Grows

Devotion – John 4:46-54 (NLT)

Faith is a gift that grows as we use it.  How do we recognize if we are walking in faith?  We say we believe, but our actions of anxiety do not portray the faith we say we have. (Phil. 4:6 – “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you  need, and thank Him for all He has done.”  Do we believe God enough (the faith of a mustard seed) to “prepare our field for rain”  or to “move the mountain?”  (Matt. 17:20 – “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard see, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move.  Nothing would be impossible.”)

This devotion speaks about the father who believed Jesus for his son’s healing. Before he even made it home, his son was healed because of his trust in the words that Jesus spoke to him.  Verse 50 says “Then Jesus told him, ‘Go back home.  Your son will live.” How much do we believe Jesus for our children’s healing?  I believe that because there is so much emotional disorder in our society today, our children are suffering in such a major way.  Do we really believe Jesus for their healing?

As I walk through my own journey of emotional disorder in my family, I must say there are days I am challenged. But as I write today, I am challenged to stand on the Word of God; to practice this faith I have in reality.  As this father did, trust in the Words of Jesus.  We mature or grow in this walk of faith as we  practice it, trusting and praising.

Praises are evidence of trust.  Why?  Because praise reveals confidence, hope, believing that God is not only willing but able to meet our every need.  He is worthy to be praised!

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible New Living Translation, copyright  1965, 2004.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189.